Editing Burmese language (section)

=== Middle Burmese ===
{{Main|Middle Burmese}}
The transition to [[Middle Burmese]] occurred in the 16th century.{{sfn|Herbert|Milner|1989|p=5}} The transition to Middle Burmese included phonological changes (e.g. mergers of [[Minimal pair|sound pairs]] that were distinct in Old Burmese) as well as accompanying changes in the underlying [[orthography]].{{sfn|Herbert|Milner|1989|p=5}}

From the 1500s onward, Burmese kingdoms saw substantial gains in the populace's [[literacy rate]], which manifested itself in greater participation of laymen in scribing and composing legal and historical documents, domains that were traditionally the domain of Buddhist monks, and drove the ensuing proliferation of [[Burmese literature]], both in terms of genres and works.{{sfn|Lieberman|2018|p={{page needed|date=November 2021}}}} During this period, the [[Burmese alphabet]] began employing cursive-style circular letters typically used in [[palm-leaf manuscript]]s, as opposed to the traditional square block-form letters used in earlier periods.{{sfn|Lieberman|2018|p={{page needed|date=November 2021}}}} The orthographic conventions used in written Burmese today can largely be traced back to Middle Burmese.